PORTRAIT PAINTER
This portrait of my younger daughter, Georgia, has a very special place in my heart. As with her sister, Liv, George was drawn and painted multiple times by me over the years between 4 and 11. If they sat still for long enough I’d draw them! My plan was always to paint both my daughters …
This delightful young man was the youngest of four siblings that I painted over the course of the last 7 years – Isla, Clemmie and Thalia. A mere 8 years old when I first turned up back in 2018, and now a strapping 15. If he was even mildly irritated by the prospect of having …
Torben Lenzberg was the father of my brother’s wife, making him my father-in-law-in-law! A dynamic power-house of a man, Torben was tremendously active. Tirelessly fascinated by everything and everyone, with a huge thirst for knowledge and a real passion for people and for life. Painted back in 2015, this is my favourite type of portrait commission. A …
Thalia is the third of four children of my friends Angus and Kath. I had already painted her older sisters – Isla and Clemmie – at around the same age – 12; and the youngest – Ludo – was next on the list. It is always fascinating painting siblings at the same age over a …
Brimming with confidence and self-assurance, with a spark in her eye, and a willingness to enter into the spirit of the day, this extraordinary young girl completely stole my heart. Her older sister had been painted some years before as a young child and now it was time to commit this wonderful girl to the …
This sketch was one of many painted during a two-day portrait course with the wonderful and super-talented Andrew James, member of the RP and NEAC. I try and eke out some time amongst taking commissions, and treat myself to a course every year. There is always so much to learn. New ideas, new approaches. It’s …
This portrait was commissioned by the child’s grandmother who had been painted as a child and wanted to do the same for her granddaughter. The Sitter A long-limbed, blonde six year old bundle of energy catapulted out of the car on arrival at my studio and we raced up the drive together to close the …
This commission of brother and sister portraits was a huge amount of fun. Because of where the finished paintings were going to hang, we went quite large scale – 80cm x 61cm (a little over life-size) – which I found quite liberating after working on a smaller scale for my previous few commissions of children. …
I have two daughters – Liv, 27 at the time of writing, and Georgia, 23. I have painted and drawn them both at 4, 11, and then my plan was to paint them again at 18 before leaving for university. What with a slightly overwhelming load of other commissions, getting remarried, moving house, building a …
I received an enquiry from Nashville, Tennessee, for a three-quarter length portrait of John, the handsome, gloriously red-headed 18 year old son of Josh and Susan. It was to be a ‘legacy portrait’ to pass down through the generations. And once we had chatted everything through, they excitedly arranged a family trip to the UK …
The sitting for the portraits of these two delightful teenage sisters took place in their home in Somerset in 2022. It was a modern farmhouse that had all the charm of an old home but all the benefits of a new one. Light streamed in through all the huge windows and the views out over …
Phoebe’s mother, Tori became a very important part in my life in the late 1990’s. We lived in the same tiny village near Ilminster. She was 14 and had just chosen her GCSE subjects, one of which was Child Development Studies. She needed a baby to study. And I lived just 50m down the road …
Twelve year old Jakob’s father was very keen to get his son painted before adolescence truly took hold. Since they lived locally and were pretty flexible, I was able to juggle things around a bit and we met for the photographic sitting in the Easter holidays of 2022, with a view to doing the painting …
This oil portrait is possibly my favourite commission for years, for many reasons. One of which is that I was given carte blanche. No instructions, no requests or directions, no deadline and no expectations: a totally free rein. What a gift! Oliver is my first cousin once removed. (His father, Hillary, was my rather older …
These were commissioned by their grandparents unbeknownst to their unsuspecting parents. It was all wonderfully cloak and dagger. The children were taken on a mystery break down in Somerset and knew nothing of the plan until the morning of the sitting. Their grandparents had supplied me with a very good and detailed description of these …
The whole family turned up for this sitting: both parents, the twins and their baby sister. After they all tumbled out of the car, the children discharged like little bullets into the garden with my terriers to let off a bit of steam…. Read more by clicking on the image…
Kilbryde Castle, near Dunblane in Central Scotland, has been home to the Campbell family since 1659. Sir James Campbell has lived there with his wife Lady Carola since 1995, moving into the main castle when he inherited the title – 9th Baronet of Aberuchill – on the death of his father in 1997. The Commission …
In February 2020 I was contacted by Millfield school who wanted to commission a portrait of the departing headmistress of Millfield Prep. At my first visit to the school, in the Easter holidays, Shirley Shayler, headmistress for 11 years, met me at the front door in her Ugg boots. Immediately likeable, she exuded empathy and …
When commissioning portraits of siblings, some parents choose to paint each child at the same age and others prefer to paint them all at the same moment in time. There is no right or wrong. Painting them all individually at the same age, say 7 years old, is certainly less hard on the pocket and …
Gus made contact with me, having been given a birthday portrait commission of himself for his 60th by his family. Although we didn’t actually know each other, there were so many connections between us – he is the bursar at my old school – which both my sisters also attended many decades ago, as well …
This portrait commission was a real pleasure from start to finish. The whole family – both parents, and all 4 children – turned up at my studio in Somerset, having driven all the way from Staffordshire. What a delightful family they were. I have painted, drawn and photographed many, many children over the years, but …
I have been approached many times over the years to do posthumous portraits but always turn them away as this is not my area. (I am emphatic that I only ever do portraits from photos that I have taken. This is not only to ensure that I have the quality of image that I need, …
Commissioned by his wife in 2011, this portrait of my brother Justin remains one of my favourite portraits to date. My sister-in-law was the perfect client as there was no deadline, no expectations, no guidelines. I was completely left to my own devices. A portrait of a balding, bearded middle-aged man who is one of …
Aeons ago, when our children were at the same nursery school in Shepton Beauchamp, Tam and Dan Mason commissioned me to do pastel portraits of their children, Max and Izzie. Fast forward 15 or so years and the ever youthful Tam – of the wonderful Tam Mason Handscrub fame – is about to turn 50. …
I was lucky enough to meet this incredible man in the spring of 2018. Commissioned by his wife, Jane, to paint her 80 year old husband, Tony, I had done a little research before arriving at their beautiful estate in Somerset with all my kit for the sitting. Enough to realise that he was my …
This portrait is about those lovely relaxed endless sunny days of the summer holidays. Her gorgeous olive skin, fringed denim shorts, ankle bracelet and bare feet sing out the song of summer.
An enchanting 6 year old, Claudia has a timelessness that is captivating. She is engaging and curious, but has a gentleness and stillness that belies her years. I thoroughly enjoyed every stage of this portrait. And am looking forward to meeting her sister Agatha in 2 years time for her portrait. Sometimes, I just love …
This painting was commissioned by my sister, Antonia, back in 2004 and was my first family portrait. It was to be a large-scale portrait featuring all four children and my sister and brother-in-law and their three dogs. For me, a family portrait needs to feel intimate and relaxed, as if you have stumbled in on …
An interesting commission this, from a friend and fellow artist who had studied at the same school – Charles Cecil Studios in Florence. It is always difficult to draw one’s own children with the necessary degree of objectivity, so Katie had entrusted me to capture them. But obviously with shortage of expectation. No pressure then! …
The Sitter Isla is the oldest of 4 children. At 12, the adolescent is lurking in the wings but she is still delightfully young and sweet and in the full swing of pony madness. She arrived, as instructed, with lots of changes of clothes and various props including some rosettes and, rather charmingly, her teddybear. …
This is the view that I see whenever I turn off the road towards my village – Stocklinch – and I love it. The tree, on the brow of the hill is the same tree one I get to see from the other side every morning when I walk my dogs. (Painting to follow of …
Rufus, a 2 year old cocker spaniel has to be one of the most delicious dogs I have ever known. So amenable, obedient, so eager to please. And entirely focussed on his master, Simon. His coat was as soft as silk. But the most enticing thing about him was the length of his eyelashes. I …
Hetta was not keen to have her portrait painted! Her husband commissioned me to paint her but didn’t inform me of her reluctance until I was about 10 minutes away from their house. With some trepidation as to how I was going to handle this scenario, I arrived laden with all my photography kit and …
Harry is the youngest son of my cousin, the very talented artist Mary-Ann Watt. His older sisters, Isla and Florence, had had their portraits done by me several years earlier when they respectively turned 10. Now, finally, it was Harry’s turn. The Sitter Only boy, and youngest of 3, Harry has a fabulous mop of …
I absolutely loved this commission. On paper it was potentially full of complications. Oil portraits of two brothers – one of 15, one of 9. The 15 year old is very much a young man, tall and long-limbed and rather camera shy. The 8 year old – a chorister at Salisbury cathedral – is a …
Scrumpy is the first small dog I have ever owned. I had never particularly liked small dogs, preferring bigger dogs. But then I met her mother, Scrappy, the most heavenly long-haired Jack Russell. (You can read all about Scrappy here) and my canine tastes changed irrevocably. Scrumpy was ‘guaranteed’ to be long-haired since both her parents …
This was a fascinating commission. Two individual portraits of twins. When painting siblings, I always try and ensure that the paintings work both separately and collectively. This means choosing poses that work together so that the children aren’t all facing the same way (like sitting on a bus). With twins, and the added closeness that …
When Roddy came to pick up the portrait of his wife, Sian, there was a general consensus that really it was only right and fitting that he should have a portrait painted of himself. But rather than have a matching “his ‘n hers”, he felt that his portrait should be completely different. Where her …
This landscape sketch was the result of a very happy half-hour spent with my absurdly talented artist friend, Tin Odescalchi, painting en plein air in 2014. We chose a view between Somerton and Langport, erected our easels up and set ourselves the limit of 30 minutes as it focusses the mind and means that you …
About the Sitter Yasmin H was my youngest daughter’s best friend at primary school and a regular and much loved in our house. Even at 7, she was extraordinarily beautiful – olive-skinned, greeny-hazel eyed and wonderful leonine hair; but she was also kind, gentle, serene, warm and loyal. And absurdly talented at whatever she turned her …
Sian de N burst into my life when she turned up for a head and shoulders sitting, bringing her devoted border terrier, Dolly, along for the ride. Sian is one of the most fun and energetic women I have met in years and we hit it off famously and felt like old friends within …
The Sitter William is a warm, likeable, quietly confident young man who, as I finished this portrait, was celebrating his 18th birthday and completing his A levels. I had painted his sister, Catriona, 18 months previously – one of my favourite portraits. Now I wanted to paint an equally good portrait of William that would stand …
The Story This was a really enjoyable and unusual commission. I was contacted by Helena’s grandfather, Peter back in October, 2014. About 100 years ago, in the early 1900’s, Helena’s great-grandmother, Beatrice Irene, was painted at 7 with her dog, a terrier, by the renowned Edwardian portrait artist Edmond Brock. Three generations later and at …
I had painted Florence’s sister, Isla, a couple of years ago when she was 10. Isla, see below, was a beautiful, relatively shy, dreamy, bookworm brunette. The pose we chose then reflected that and had a gentle serenity about it as she gazed out of the picture. Two years later, in bounced Florence. Completely …
I spent a wonderful and very productive 4 days at the Summerleaze Gallery Studios in Wiltshire. Four days of having a variety of models at our disposal under the watchful and extremely helpful eye of portrait artist Anthony Connolly. This was a small slice of heaven for me. Undiluted portrait paradise. The models were chosen for …
The Story Scrappy is responsible for my having 2 Jack Russell terriers. For two reasons. Firstly, historically, I had always had big dogs. Didn’t really ‘do’ small dogs. Ankle-biting yapping things that follow big bottomed handsome women of a certain age, as far as I was concerned. Then I met Scrappy. And within minutes I knew without …
Iris, 6 years old, is the youngest of three. Bright, determined, confident, mischievous and with a wonderful mop of hair. I had drawn Gus’ and Honor’s portraits 5 and 3 years ago, respectively, when they were both 6. So their pastel portraits came back with Iris so that I could have them with me while I …
The Idea About 18 months ago, while I was painting the huge portrait of my sister, Antonia Davies, I was visited in my studio by Jilly, a friend of my mother’s who was interested in commissioning a portrait of her then 17 year old granddaughter, Catriona. The Initial Meeting We agreed that it would be …
I have known Olivia since she was 10. She is the older sister of my youngest’s best friend at primary school from some years ago. Always in and out of each other’s houses, our two families were great friends. But since the girls moved on to different secondary schools, our paths hadn’t crossed so much and it …
This is a family of four enchanting Irish children that I painted in 2014 – 6 months of work. It was a very interesting and challenging commission with the children’s age ranging is from 11 down to 4 years old. The challenge was to produce 4 individual oil portraits of these highly individual children that had cohesion as a set. Blessed …